i100 
CoLor. 
bs 
HHA AR YE. Crass I. 
but in the night takes a circuit in featch of food, 
always returning through the fame meufes, or pafies. 
The color approaches very near to that of the 
sround ; which fecures it more effectually from the 
fight of men, and of beafts and birds of prey. Pro- 
vidence has been fo careful in refpeét to the pre- 
fervation of the fpecies of animals, as to caufe in 
northern countries thefe as well as many others 
to change color, and become white at the begin- 
ning of winter, to render them lefs confpicuous 
amidft the fhow. Accidental inftances of white 
hares are met with in South Britain. 
Hares differ much in-fize. The fmalleft are in 
the ifle of Z/ay: the largeft in that of Men, where 
fome have been found to weigh twelve pounds. 
Its food is entirely vegetable ; and it does great 
injury to nurferies of young trees, by eating the 
bark off: it is particularly fond of pinks, parfley, 
and birch. 
The hare never pairs; but in the rutting feafon, 
which begins in February, the male purfues and dif 
covers the female, by the fagacity of its nofe. The 
female goes with young one month, brings ufually 
two young ata time; fometimes three, and very 
rarely four. Sir Thomas Brown, in his treatife on 
vulgar errors *, afferts the doctrine of fuperfetation : 
i. €. @ CONception upon conception, or an im- 
provement on the firft fruit before the fecond is ex- 
on ae Tw 
cluded ; 
